Category: france

One of the great things about the Vancouver International Wine Festival is that in the big Festival Tasting Room at the Conference Centre is that you can meet a winery principal and talk to him or her about their wines.  You can often find out info that is not widely known, such as how they decided to plant an obscure…

This past year I tasted a tremendous number of wines from around the world, but some wines really resonated with me.  It may have been the great balance of fruit, sugar, acidity for a white wine, or the fruit, tannins and minerality in a red wine, or something else. Something that made the wine stand above the other wines.  Could…

A wine agent’s portfolio tasting typically gives you the chance to try both listed as well as spec wines; wines that may only show up in specialty wine shops or restaurants, in limited quantities.  I have been to Mark Anthony Wine and Spirits‘ portfolio tasting now for a few years, and I am always very impressed by the wineries that…

O Canada!  Our 150th birthday is next year, 2017, and we need to celebrate.  The Vancouver International Wine Festival felt the spirit and chose Canada as the theme country for the Festival in 2017.  It is not just wineries from BC that you will get to see at the Festival.  There will also be wineries coming from Ontario and Nova…

I’ve traveled to France twice for vacation, and both times I made sure to stop in the Rhone Valley.  I love the Syrahs from the northern Rhone, as well as the famous Chateauneuf du Pape blend from the south.  I also have to note that the Rhone has very aromatic and flavourful white wines, coming from the Viognier, Marsanne and…

Top Drop Vancouver is a collaboration between Vancouver’s wine industry, that focus on smaller boutique and terroir-focused wineries from BC and around the world, and offers these wines to taste at a public event, this year held at the Roundhouse in Yaletown on September 8.  I was fortunate to be able to attend this walk-about event, with a glass in…

Buying French wine can be daunting.  The name of the grape is not seen on the bottle.  There could be the name of the village or vineyard on the bottle.  None of which probably helps many people here in Canada.  But with perseverance and a bit of knowledge you can learn a bit about a wine region, such as the…

Icon Fine Wines & Spirits is a wine and spirit agency located in Yaletown that features predominantly family-owned boutique wine produced from major wine regions of the world, as well as niche spirits and imported craft beer.  I was invited recently to try the latest wines, and vintages, in their portfolio.  Following are some of my favourite wines from the…

I was shocked when I heard about how many wines by the glass are available for you to buy and enjoy with your meal at Provence Marinaside in Yaletown.  This may be the largest wine by the glass offering in North America.  The development of the FreshTAP and TORR system kegs that keep wine fresh are still relatively new technologies,…

Today is a first for me;  Actually 2 firsts.  One of my firsts is that I will be meeting and interviewing Mr. Harry McWatters, who established Sumac Ridge winery and See Ya Later Ranch.  Harry has overseen many firsts in the BC wine industry and has been active for 40+ years here in BC.  I’m not sure why I haven’t…